Liberty, KY Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Liberty is about the same as Kentucky average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Liberty is higher than Kentucky average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #622
| Liberty, KY | 0.04 |
| Kentucky | 0.24 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Liberty, KY | 0.0000 |
| Kentucky | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #430
| Liberty, KY | 178.78 |
| Kentucky | 136.89 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 3,300 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Liberty, KY were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 1 | Cold: | 26 | Dense Fog: | 26 | Drought: | 17 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 415 | Hail: | 721 | Heat: | 21 | Heavy Snow: | 9 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 6 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 20 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,907 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 13 | Winter Weather: | 20 |
| Other: | 96 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Liberty, KY.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Liberty, KY.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Liberty, KY.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 84 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Liberty, KY.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 7.9 | 2009-10-09 | 2 | 37°14'N / 85°03'W | 37°15'N / 85°01'W | 1.00 Mile | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Casey |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado did some damage to homes and buildings near Liberty, Kentucky. Trees were also damaged. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong storm system moved into central Kentucky during the early morning hours of October 9th bringing a round of flash flooding and even some straight line winds and a tornado to the area. Later in the afternoon across southeast portions of central Kentucky, sunny skies allow a more unstable airmass to produce more severe weather and two EF-2 tornadoes resulted. | |||||||||||
| 10.3 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°26'N / 84°55'W | 37°30'N / 84°52'W | 5.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Casey |
| 11.2 | 1998-05-31 | 2 | 37°13'N / 85°05'W | 37°12'N / 85°04'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0 | Adair |
| Brief Description: Numerous thunderstorms developed near and north of the Ohio River by late afternoon and dropped south and east across central Kentucky producing widespread severe weather. A brief F2 tornado touched down at Pellyton producing heavy damage to a brick house and destroying several mobile homes. Meanwhile, Marion, Taylor, Russell and Adair counties had widespread flash flooding with numerous roads under water, a few bridges washed out and cars washed away and water entering many homes and businesses. Five families in Calvary in Marion county were forced from their homes due to the high waters. Otherwise, severe thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees and power lines across the area and hail to the size of golf balls was reported at several locations. Taylor, Nelson, Henry, Oldham and Clark counties all had some property damage due to thunderstorm winds with barns destroyed, trees falling on cars and mobile home damage. Reports were from DES, spotters and the public. | |||||||||||
| 15.1 | 2006-01-02 | 2 | 37°24'N / 84°46'W | 37°28'N / 84°37'W | 8.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 350K | 0 | Lincoln |
| Brief Description: Two people were injured as an F2 tornado swept through western and central Lincoln County. A man received minor injures when a barn he was in collapsed around him. An elderly woman was hospitalized with a broken collar bone and nose. She had been sucked out of her mobile home by strong winds when she tried to open her front door. In all, eight mobile homes were destroyed, with most of the damage being concentrated south of the McKinney area. At one location, the storm survey team found that the tornado had embedded two by six boards firmly into the ground. | |||||||||||
| 16.3 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°30'N / 84°52'W | 37°35'N / 84°47'W | 7.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 65 | 0K | 0 | Lincoln |
| 16.4 | 1965-04-25 | 2 | 37°12'N / 84°39'W | 37°16'N / 84°39'W | 4.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 16.7 | 1971-04-27 | 4 | 37°05'N / 85°04'W | 37°05'N / 84°54'W | 9.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 70 | 2.5M | 0 | Russell |
| 17.1 | 1997-03-28 | 3 | 37°11'N / 85°19'W | 37°13'N / 85°05'W | 10.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 7 | 3.0M | 0 | Adair |
| Brief Description: A strong F3 tornado touched down in the Cane Valley area destroying 15 mobile homes, 14 homes, a business, a church and 12 barns. Also, 26 homes, 2 businesses and 2 churches were heavily damaged. 51 homes were destroyed and 50 damaged across northern Adair county. The tornado moved northeast skipping at times to Pellyton before lifting. Only 7 minor injuries were reported, however. Many people sought refugee in one of the damaged churches. | |||||||||||
| 17.3 | 1971-04-27 | 4 | 37°05'N / 84°54'W | 37°04'N / 84°50'W | 3.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 19.3 | 1996-04-20 | 2 | 37°27'N / 84°46'W | 37°32'N / 84°32'W | 12.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 7 | 1.5M | 0 | Lincoln |
| Brief Description: A tornado embedded in straight-line winds moved through Lincoln county destroying or damaging 20 houses and mobile homes and 6 buildings. DES coordinator Winfred Todd reported the damage path went from near McKinney across the western part of the county to Preachersville across the eastern part of the county near the Garrard county line. Also damaged or destroyed were the Faith Temple Church, two show pavillions at the county fairgrounds 3 miles south of Stanford and a giant 70 by 70 foot screen at the Stanford Drive-In. The Maywood area was perhaps the hardest hit. A home was picked up and slammed down 50 to 100 feet away and shredded. 7 people had minor injuries including a 2 year old girl who was ripped from her house and placed under a tree. The girl's house collapsed into the basement. | |||||||||||
| 19.5 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 37°17'N / 85°24'W | 37°23'N / 85°10'W | 14.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 53 | 0K | 0 | Taylor |
| 20.0 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°01'N / 84°52'W | 37°15'N / 84°26'W | 28.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Russell |
| 20.1 | 1964-06-15 | 2 | 37°06'N / 85°12'W | 37°06'N / 85°08'W | 3.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Adair |
| 20.1 | 1967-05-30 | 2 | 37°01'N / 84°54'W | 37°03'N / 84°50'W | 4.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 20.3 | 1998-04-16 | 3 | 37°07'N / 85°26'W | 37°14'N / 85°04'W | 20.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3.0M | 0 | Adair |
| Brief Description: A series of three tornadoes cut a long path of destruction across south central Kentucky during the late afternoon and early evening of April 16. Three people were killed, two in Barren county and one in Metcalfe, as the tornadoes moved through. A 78 year old man was killed by fallen debris from his house in Wisdom accounting for the Metcalfe county death. In Glasgow of Barren county, a 67 year old man was killed in his mobile home and a 47 year old man was killed by flying debris off his greenhouse. The Glasgow area of Barren county and the Pellyton area of Adair county were hardest hit sustaining F3 damage. In Glasgow, 1 house was destroyed and 45 were badly damaged. 35 mobile homes and 25 barns were also badly damaged or destroyed. Winds were estimated at around 175 mph in the Glasgow area. Another wide area area of severe destruction took place across northern Adair county from around Portland to Pellyton. There, 14 houses were destroyed or received major damage. 3 mobile homes and 27 barns were also destroyed. 146 homes and 50 barns were damaged or destroyed across Barren county, while 30 homes, 84 barns, 2 schools and 8 businesses were damaged or destroyed across Adair county. Metcalfe county also sustained minimal damage to 19 structures, major damage to 43 and destruction to 54. F2 damage was estimated across much of Metcalfe county. Many eyewitnesses across the affected counties reported two smaller sub-vortices within the parent funnels. After reviewing Doppler radar reflectivity patterns and damage patterns, it appears the first tornado moved from northern Logan county to the Barren-Metcalfe county line. Then another formed in the near Wisdom in Metcalfe county before it dissipated 2 miles east of Edmonton. A final tornado from the parent supercell formed near Portland in Adair county and moved 20 miles to Pellyton before also dissipating. | |||||||||||
| 22.1 | 1961-06-09 | 2 | 37°12'N / 85°18'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Adair | |
| 23.7 | 1974-03-29 | 2 | 37°00'N / 85°05'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Russell | |
| 23.9 | 1971-04-27 | 4 | 37°09'N / 85°24'W | 37°08'N / 85°12'W | 11.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 6 | 58 | 2.5M | 0 | Adair |
| 24.2 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°35'N / 84°47'W | 37°42'N / 84°43'W | 8.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 33 | 0K | 0 | Boyle |
| 24.4 | 2006-01-02 | 2 | 37°06'N / 85°17'W | 37°06'N / 85°16'W | 0.60 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Adair |
| Brief Description: The first tornado touched down near Columbia. It destroyed a mobile home and removed the roof from a house. Other homes and mobile homes were damaged. The tornado lifted and the parent cell travelled into northeast Adair County. The second tornado touched down in the Pellyton area, about 13 miles to the northeast of the first touchdown. Several homes and barns in the area were damaged before the tornado lifted again. | |||||||||||
| 24.7 | 1954-08-02 | 2 | 37°27'N / 85°20'W | 37°39'N / 85°13'W | 15.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor |
| 25.7 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 37°41'N / 84°56'W | 37°42'N / 84°52'W | 3.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 10 | 250K | 0 | Boyle |
| 25.8 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°58'N / 84°45'W | 37°00'N / 84°42'W | 3.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 0K | 0 | Pulaski |
| 25.9 | 2008-02-06 | 2 | 37°41'N / 85°03'W | 37°41'N / 85°03'W | 1.00 Mile | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 15K | 0K | Washington |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado touched down on Russell Lane about eight miles east-northeast of Springfield. The tornado completely blew away a large, well-constructed out-building. Six-by-six inch posts were snapped and piled up, while metal sheeting was blown about a quarter of a mile away. Concrete joists weighing two hundred pounds were displaced. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front along with a strong upper level low produced a squall line that crossed central Kentucky. This set off widespread severe weather, and spawned several tornadoes. | |||||||||||
| 25.9 | 1981-08-05 | 2 | 37°20'N / 85°24'W | 1.00 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 28.2 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 37°13'N / 85°28'W | 37°17'N / 85°24'W | 5.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Green |
| 28.7 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°51'N / 84°58'W | 36°58'N / 84°45'W | 14.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Wayne |
| 29.7 | 1971-04-27 | 4 | 37°09'N / 85°27'W | 37°09'N / 85°24'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Green |
| 30.8 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°49'N / 85°02'W | 36°56'N / 84°46'W | 16.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 2 | 17 | 0K | 0 | Wayne |
| 31.1 | 1977-10-01 | 2 | 37°37'N / 84°30'W | 2.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 16 | 250K | 0 | Laurel | |
| 31.8 | 1997-03-28 | 2 | 37°30'N / 85°29'W | 37°31'N / 85°26'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Marion |
| Brief Description: A second tornado formed on the southern flank of the supercell that produced the tornado from Bonnieville to Magnolia. This second tornado formed as the first one dissipated. This second tornado touched down in Creal and did some damage there including a barn that was thrown across Highway 61. County road 2762 was also blocked by downed trees. Then the tornado proceeded northeastward and crossed Highway 210 into southern Larue county where again several trees and some power lines blocked the road there. There were 5 mobile homes and 4 barns destroyed and a church damaged in Pleasant Ridge. From there, the tornado moved northeastward into Marion county and dissipated 3 miles west of St. Joseph. Numerous trees and power lines were down across western Marion county. | |||||||||||
| 32.1 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 37°42'N / 84°52'W | 37°51'N / 84°44'W | 12.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mercer |
| 32.4 | 2010-05-02 | 2 | 36°53'N / 84°43'W | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0K | Wayne | |||
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado touched down 1 mile south of Betsey in the Meadow Creek area. The tornado had a path length of 1/4 of a mile and a path width of 100 yards. The estimated wind speeds associated with the tornado were 110 to 120 mph. The tornado downed numerous trees. The twister also blew part of the roof off of a brick home, causing the corner of an outside wall to collapse. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A multiple lines and clusters of intense showers and strong to severe thunderstorms brought a variety of severe weather to eastern Kentucky on May 2nd and 3rd. During the late morning and late afternoon hours of May 2nd, multiple thunderstorms formed ahead of an approaching frontal boundary. These storms eventually merged into a line that stretched across the entire forecast area late in the day on the 2nd. During the overnight hours a large area of intense showers and thunderstorms dumped anywhere from 2 to over 7 inches of rainfall. Flooding was the primary issue during the overnight and early morning hours of May 3rd. Some areas felt the affects of the flooding as late in the week as May 7th. | |||||||||||
| 33.9 | 2003-05-11 | 2 | 37°48'N / 84°54'W | 37°49'N / 84°48'W | 7.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 1 | 8 | 15.0M | 0 | Mercer |
| Brief Description: The tornado formed northwest of Harrodsburg as an F1 tornado. It moved east northeast and strengthened to an F2 as it moved to near Bohon Road. Between Bohon Road and US 127, high F1 to low F2 damage was observed. The tornado lifted east of highway 127 with no additional damage. A 29 year old female drowned when her mobile home on Bohon Road was blown about one hundred yards toward the Salt River. Forty homes in the area were damaged, and of these, 12 were destroyed. F29MH | |||||||||||
| 34.3 | 2009-05-08 | 2 | 37°39'N / 84°28'W | 37°39'N / 84°27'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Garrard |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado first touched down in the Nina Ridge Road area three miles ESE of McCreary in Garrard County. The tornado caused EF-1 damage at this location before strengthening to EF-2 just before entering Madison County. Near the intersection of Highways 1295 and 52 in Madison County, the tornado reached EF-3 intensity. Near this intersection, two adults were killed when the mobile home they were in was picked up and thrown by the tornado. The bodies were recovered from a nearby pond. Five other occupants of the mobile home, including three children, were injured. A female relative in a brick home just yards away from the mobile home received only minor injuries despite being pinned under a collapsed wall in the house. The tornado weakened and lifted at times as it continued east across the county, but still caused significant damage. It tore much of the roof off a fire station on the south side of Richmond before moving over the Bluegrass Army Depot toward the community of Waco in the eastern part of the county. After doing extensive damage to mainly roofs in a subdivision of brick homes near Waco, the tornado destroyed a mobile home in the area, carrying two teenage male occupants of the home through the air before dropping them near an elementary school 300 yards away. The teens miraculously received only minor injuries. The tornado weakened significantly from this point on, doing only minor roof damage and downing trees as it continued eastward before lifting near the end of Drowning Creek Road. The tornado was up to 150 yards wide with maximum estimated wind speeds up to 140 mph. Approximately 150 homes received damage, the most severe being several brick homes where only interior walls remained standing in the wake of the tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A long-lived bow echo that had produced widespread wind damage over southern Illinois moved east into Kentucky during the late morning hours. As it moved east, the system encountered a strengthening low-level jet across the Ohio Valley, which helped modify the motion of the line, resulting in training storms of extremely heavy rain that caused flash flooding. Individual storms developing ahead of the line continued to produce damaging winds, with two storms producing tornadoes, before the main area of convection moved through. NWS damage surveys determined the tornado in south-central Kentucky to be EF-1 in intensity, while the east-central Kentucky was ranked as a strong EF-3. The EF-3 tornado resulted in two fatalities and numerous injuries. | |||||||||||
| 34.7 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°53'N / 84°36'W | 36°56'N / 84°32'W | 5.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Pulaski |
| 35.9 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°02'N / 84°24'W | 37°09'N / 84°17'W | 10.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 6 | 30 | 2.5M | 0 | Pulaski |
| 36.1 | 1972-04-11 | 2 | 37°22'N / 85°35'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Green | |||
| 36.2 | 1997-03-28 | 2 | 37°27'N / 85°37'W | 37°30'N / 85°30'W | 5.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Larue |
| Brief Description: A second tornado formed on the southern flank of the supercell that produced the tornado from Bonnieville to Magnolia. This second tornado formed as the first one dissipated. This second tornado touched down in Creal and did some damage there including a barn that was thrown across Highway 61. County road 2762 was also blocked by downed trees. Then the tornado proceeded northeastward and crossed Highway 210 into southern Larue county where again several trees and some power lines blocked the road there. There were 5 mobile homes and 4 barns destroyed and a church damaged in Pleasant Ridge. From there, the tornado moved northeastward into Marion county and dissipated 3 miles west of St. Joseph. Numerous trees and power lines were down across western Marion county. | |||||||||||
| 36.7 | 1997-03-28 | 2 | 36°58'N / 85°26'W | 36°58'N / 85°25'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Adair |
| Brief Description: An F2 tornado touched down 1 mile west of Summer Shade just inside the Metcalfe-Barren county boarder at the intersection of Highway 90 and the Milam-Clark road killing a 28 year old woman and injuring her husband and two children. The family was thrown from their mobile home which was completely destroyed and blown away. From there, the tornado crossed Highway 90 and Highway 640 with houses damaged and some mobile homes destroyed. Then it crossed Highway 163 just south of Goodluck where one house was completely lifted off its foundation and then set back down again. The tornado proceeded into southwestern Adair county and lifted just north of Breeding. Over 100 barns, 11 mobile homes and 8 houses saw extensive structural damage or were completely destroyed across Metcalfe county with an additional 20 houses with at least moderate damage. Many other residences, barns and outbuildings received minor damage. No major damage or injuries were reported in Adair county. | |||||||||||
| 36.8 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 37°43'N / 84°30'W | 37°44'N / 84°29'W | 1.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Garrard |
| 37.0 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 36°47'N / 84°42'W | 36°53'N / 84°36'W | 8.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 2 | 40 | 2.5M | 0 | Wayne |
| 37.1 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 36°46'N / 85°00'W | 36°48'N / 84°53'W | 7.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 1 | 1.0M | 500K | Wayne |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado with maximum winds near 130 mph entered Wayne County from Clinton County along Pleasant Ridge Road. The tornado maintained a continuous 7 mile track east northeast before lifting 1.5 miles southwest of Monticello near Furnace Mountain. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A slow moving cold front approached the area during the afternoon hours of April 11th. Severe thunderstorms developed along and ahead of the front. The storms first moved into Eastern Kentucky shortly before 2 PM EDT. These storms affected the areas near Monticello and Somerset. A tornado was confirmed to have touched down in Wayne County. These and other storms moved northeast across the area, causing wind damage. Numerous reports of structural damage and downed trees were reported across portions of the area. Large hail was also reported with some of the storms. Very heavy rainfall with some of the storms caused flash flooding in portions of Laurel County. | |||||||||||
| 37.6 | 1972-08-19 | 2 | 37°34'N / 84°19'W | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Madison | |||
| 38.4 | 1996-04-20 | 2 | 37°34'N / 84°18'W | 37°34'N / 84°18'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 10 | 12.8M | 0 | Madison |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down on the on the East side of interstate 75 at the Ky 21 exit at 445 am est. There the tornado destroyed a Sunoco gasoline station and ripped the roof of a Howard Johnson's motel. The tornado moved East-Northeast across the South side of Berea to just East of Ky 25 before dissapating around 450 am est. The tornado damaged around 800 homes and 40 businesses. 35 houses were destroyed or eceived major damage, while 26 business were destroyed or received major damage. Home damage was estimated at 6.7 million dollars...while damage to businesses was estimated at 6.1 million dollars. There were only minor injuries reported with the most serious being a broken collar bone. The tornado caused a storage tank to topple on the Parker Seal plant which produces O-rings for the space shuttle mission. Also damaged were parts of Berea College. Most of the damage there was due to fallen and uprooted trees. The "Old Town" section of Berea, where craftspeople make and sell high quality furiniture and other goods saw several businesses badly damaged. The roof of the town's old train depot, now a tourist center, caved in. Many homes were reported as flattened. The Red Cross, Salvation Army and 130 members of the National Guard were sent to aid the cleanup effort. The National Weather Service storm survey the damage path revealed an F2 tornado embedded in straight-line winds. | |||||||||||
| 38.6 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 36°46'N / 85°02'W | 36°46'N / 85°00'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0K | Clinton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The fourth touchdown in this family of tornadoes produced by a cyclic supercell did the most damage in Clinton County as it hit several residences in a rural subdivision along Pleasure Ridge Road. After moving through uninhabited hillside for a mile, uprooting and snapping trees in a nearly quarter-mile wide path, the tornado tore the roof of a ranch-style brick home and destroyed its nearby outbuildings. Continuing along parallel to Pleasure Ridge Road, the tornado destroyed a mobile home and barn in its path, and heavily damaged at least three other homes before exiting the county. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms moved into south central Kentucky from Tennessee, including a super cell thunderstorm that produced four separate tornadoes that damaged numerous homes in Clinton County. | |||||||||||
| 38.8 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°09'N / 84°17'W | 37°17'N / 84°11'W | 10.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Laurel |
| 39.3 | 2008-04-11 | 2 | 36°45'N / 85°04'W | 36°46'N / 85°01'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 75K | 0K | Clinton |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: As the storm continued eastward, several homes and outbuildings were heavily damaged by the third tornado touchdown produced by the supercell. In addition to the structural damage covering nearly 1 1/2 miles, scores of trees were downed as were utility lines. A witness at the end of this tornado's path reported seeing two tornadoes on the ground simultaneously, as the fourth tornado produced by this supercell touched down about 1/4 mile north of the ending point of the third twister. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms moved into south central Kentucky from Tennessee, including a super cell thunderstorm that produced four separate tornadoes that damaged numerous homes in Clinton County. | |||||||||||
| 39.7 | 1967-03-12 | 2 | 37°41'N / 84°22'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mccreary | |||
| 39.7 | 1955-03-04 | 3 | 37°43'N / 84°27'W | 37°40'N / 84°18'W | 8.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Madison |
| 39.7 | 1997-03-28 | 2 | 37°26'N / 85°39'W | 37°28'N / 85°37'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20K | 0 | Green |
| Brief Description: A second tornado formed on the southern flank of the supercell that produced the tornado from Bonnieville to Magnolia. This second tornado formed as the first one dissipated. This second tornado touched down in Creal and did some damage there including a barn that was thrown across Highway 61. County road 2762 was also blocked by downed trees. Then the tornado proceeded northeastward and crossed Highway 210 into southern Larue county where again several trees and some power lines blocked the road there. There were 5 mobile homes and 4 barns destroyed and a church damaged in Pleasant Ridge. From there, the tornado moved northeastward into Marion county and dissipated 3 miles west of St. Joseph. Numerous trees and power lines were down across western Marion county. | |||||||||||
| 40.0 | 1986-04-20 | 3 | 36°50'N / 85°22'W | 36°53'N / 85°22'W | 3.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Cumberland |
| 40.2 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°43'N / 85°16'W | 36°49'N / 85°02'W | 14.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 8 | 63 | 0K | 0 | Clinton |
| 41.2 | 1972-04-21 | 2 | 37°54'N / 84°57'W | 37°56'N / 84°52'W | 5.10 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mercer |
| 41.4 | 2008-02-06 | 2 | 37°48'N / 85°22'W | 37°49'N / 85°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0K | Nelson |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado destroyed or heavily damaage two shop buildings at a construction company. A couple trailers on the company site were rolled over. Farther along the tornado's path, it knocked a mobile home off the foundation, and rolled it over two nearby cars. Two occupants of the mobile home were injured. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front along with a strong upper level low produced a squall line that crossed central Kentucky. This set off widespread severe weather, and spawned several tornadoes. | |||||||||||
| 41.4 | 1974-04-03 | 3 | 37°17'N / 84°11'W | 37°18'N / 84°10'W | 1.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Rockcastle |
| 42.4 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 38°14'N / 84°44'W | 37°30'N / 84°25'W | 53.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 37 | 250K | 0 | Scott |
| 43.8 | 1968-04-23 | 2 | 37°52'N / 84°35'W | 37°54'N / 84°32'W | 3.30 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Jessamine |
| 43.9 | 1997-03-28 | 2 | 36°53'N / 85°43'W | 37°02'N / 85°27'W | 15.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 6 | 1.0M | 0 | Metcalfe |
| Brief Description: F28MH An F2 tornado touched down 1 mile west of Summer Shade just inside the Metcalfe-Barren county boarder at the intersection of Highway 90 and the Milam-Clark road killing a 28 year old woman and injuring her husband and two children. The family was thrown from their mobile home which was completely destroyed and blown away. From there, the tornado crossed Highway 90 and Highway 640 with houses damaged and some mobile homes destroyed. Then it crossed Highway 163 just south of Goodluck where one house was completely lifted off its foundation and then set back down again. The tornado proceeded into southwestern Adair county and lifted just north of Breeding. Over 100 barns, 11 mobile homes and 8 houses saw extensive structural damage or were completely destroyed across Metcalfe county with an additional 20 houses with at least moderate damage. Many other residences, barns and outbuildings received minor damage. No major damage or injuries were reported in Adair county. | |||||||||||
| 44.3 | 2009-05-08 | 3 | 37°39'N / 84°27'W | 37°45'N / 84°06'W | 20.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 2 | 15 | 0K | 0K | Madison |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado first touched down in the Nina Ridge Road area three miles ESE of McCreary in Garrard County. The tornado caused EF-1 damage at this location before strengthening to EF-2 just before entering Madison County. Near the intersection of Highways 1295 and 52 in Madison County, the tornado reached EF-3 intensity. Near this intersection, two adults were killed when the mobile home they were in was picked up and thrown by the tornado. The bodies were recovered from a nearby pond. Five other occupants of the mobile home, including three children, were injured. A female relative in a brick home just yards away from the mobile home received only minor injuries despite being pinned under a collapsed wall in the house. The tornado weakened and lifted at times as it continued east across the county, but still caused significant damage. It tore much of the roof off a fire station on the south side of Richmond before moving over the Bluegrass Army Depot toward the community of Waco in the eastern part of the county. After doing extensive damage to mainly roofs in a subdivision of brick homes near Waco, the tornado destroyed a mobile home in the area, carrying two teenage male occupants of the home through the air before dropping them near an elementary school 300 yards away. The teens miraculously received only minor injuries. The tornado weakened significantly from this point on, doing only minor roof damage and downing trees as it continued eastward before lifting near the end of Drowning Creek Road. The tornado was up to 150 yards wide with maximum estimated wind speeds up to 140 mph. Approximately 150 homes received damage, the most severe being several brick homes where only interior walls remained standing in the wake of the tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A long-lived bow echo that had produced widespread wind damage over southern Illinois moved east into Kentucky during the late morning hours. As it moved east, the system encountered a strengthening low-level jet across the Ohio Valley, which helped modify the motion of the line, resulting in training storms of extremely heavy rain that caused flash flooding. Individual storms developing ahead of the line continued to produce damaging winds, with two storms producing tornadoes, before the main area of convection moved through. NWS damage surveys determined the tornado in south-central Kentucky to be EF-1 in intensity, while the east-central Kentucky was ranked as a strong EF-3. The EF-3 tornado resulted in two fatalities and numerous injuries. | |||||||||||
| 44.6 | 1952-03-22 | 3 | 37°32'N / 85°43'W | 37°33'N / 85°40'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 18 | 250K | 0 | Larue |
| 44.9 | 1965-11-26 | 2 | 37°07'N / 85°45'W | 37°06'N / 85°39'W | 5.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Metcalfe |
| 45.0 | 1998-04-16 | 2 | 37°00'N / 85°42'W | 36°59'N / 85°34'W | 8.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 0 | 5.0M | 0 | Metcalfe |
| Brief Description: M78PH A series of three tornadoes cut a long path of destruction across south central Kentucky during the late afternoon and early evening of April 16. Three people were killed, two in Barren county and one in Metcalfe, as the tornadoes moved through. A 78 year old man was killed by fallen debris from his house in Wisdom accounting for the Metcalfe county death. In Glasgow of Barren county, a 67 year old man was killed in his mobile home and a 47 year old man was killed by flying debris off his greenhouse. The Glasgow area of Barren county and the Pellyton area of Adair county were hardest hit sustaining F3 damage. In Glasgow, 1 house was destroyed and 45 were badly damaged. 35 mobile homes and 25 barns were also badly damaged or destroyed. Winds were estimated at around 175 mph in the Glasgow area. Another wide area area of severe destruction took place across northern Adair county from around Portland to Pellyton. There, 14 houses were destroyed or received major damage. 3 mobile homes and 27 barns were also destroyed. 146 homes and 50 barns were damaged or destroyed across Barren county, while 30 homes, 84 barns, 2 schools and 8 businesses were damaged or destroyed across Adair county. Metcalfe county also sustained minimal damage to 19 structures, major damage to 43 and destruction to 54. F2 damage was estimated across much of Metcalfe county. Many eyewitnesses across the affected counties reported two smaller sub-vortices within the parent funnels. After reviewing Doppler radar reflectivity patterns and damage patterns, it appears the first tornado moved from northern Logan county to the Barren-Metcalfe county line. Then another formed in the near Wisdom in Metcalfe county before it dissipated 2 miles east of Edmonton. A final tornado from the parent supercell formed near Portland in Adair county and moved 20 miles to Pellyton before also dissipating. | |||||||||||
| 45.2 | 1996-05-28 | 2 | 37°59'N / 84°58'W | 37°58'N / 84°54'W | 8.00 Miles | 575 Yards | 0 | 1 | 1.0M | 0 | Anderson |
| Brief Description: Another tornado, from the supercell that caused extensive damage across Bullitt county, was formed near Fox Creek. It moved south of Lawrenceburg. Along Route 513 near the intersection of the Blue Grass Parkway and Route 127, 13 homes and several barns were damaged. 4 homes were destroyed. The worst damage was in the Gilbert's Creek road area 5 miles south of Lawrenceburg. A number of trees were snapped off. Damage was also noted near a car dealership in the same area. One women was injured by flying glass. The storm was an F2 on the Fujita scale. The tornado continued into Woodford county but weakened to an F0 as it did some damage to trees and limbs along Lillards Ferry Road. The tornado then lifted. | |||||||||||
| 45.3 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 37°44'N / 84°29'W | 37°53'N / 84°16'W | 15.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 7 | 20 | 0K | 0 | Madison |
| 45.3 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°40'N / 84°44'W | 36°45'N / 84°32'W | 12.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 45.4 | 1990-05-21 | 2 | 37°45'N / 84°18'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25.0M | 0 | Madison | |
| 45.7 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°36'N / 84°46'W | 36°48'N / 84°31'W | 19.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 11 | 25K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 46.1 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°48'N / 84°26'W | 36°51'N / 84°18'W | 8.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 46.2 | 2008-02-06 | 2 | 37°43'N / 85°37'W | 37°43'N / 85°36'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 100K | Nelson |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A long swath of wind damage showed signs of an intermittent embedded tornado. The tornado destroyed an outbuilding, and knocked the top half off a silo. Near Patton Road, there was an enhanced area of tree damage, with the trees laying in a convergent path, consistent with tornadic damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A cold front along with a strong upper level low produced a squall line that crossed central Kentucky. This set off widespread severe weather, and spawned several tornadoes. | |||||||||||
| 46.3 | 1967-03-12 | 3 | 36°49'N / 84°31'W | 36°45'N / 84°20'W | 11.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mccreary |
| 46.8 | 1997-03-28 | 3 | 37°26'N / 85°47'W | 37°27'N / 85°45'W | 2.00 Miles | 1200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3.0M | 0 | Larue |
| Brief Description: A 40 year old man was killed as an F3 tornado with winds estimated at 175 mph touched down near Bonnieville in Hart county and moved northeast 9 miles to the town of Magnolia in Larue county before lifting. The deceased man was killed in his house in Hammonville as the house was blown 50 yards away from its foundation. A few other poorly secured homes were lifted clean off their foundations as well. Most of the injured were hurt when the tornado crossed I-65 at exit 71 causing several accidents. In Hart county, 14 people were injured in addition to the 1 death. 32 houses and 8 mobile homes were heavily damaged or destroyed most in Bonnieville. DES officials estimate total damage at 1.4 million dollars. In Larue county, 22 houses and 20 barns were heavily damaged or destroyed with most of the damage in Magnolia. DES officials estimated total damage around 3 million dollars half of which was damage to a dairy farm. The farmer lost 80 cattle as as the barn collapsed on them. One man lost a restored model-T that he was used in car shows and exhibits. The only injury was to a Deputy Sheriff who rode out the storm in his cruiser. He badly bruised his hand and said he witnessed a near-by uninhabited car thrown more than 20 feet overtop of his cruiser. | |||||||||||
| 47.0 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 37°50'N / 84°26'W | 37°53'N / 84°22'W | 4.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Madison |
| 47.2 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°38'N / 84°47'W | 36°40'N / 84°44'W | 3.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Wayne |
| 47.4 | 1974-04-03 | 2 | 36°51'N / 84°18'W | 36°52'N / 84°17'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Whitley | ||
| 48.0 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°37'N / 84°57'W | 36°38'N / 84°53'W | 3.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Wayne |
| 48.1 | 1998-04-16 | 2 | 36°38'N / 84°45'W | 36°42'N / 84°30'W | 15.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 30K | 0 | Mccreary |
| Brief Description: The path of the tornado was intermittent. It first touched down in extreme southeast Wayne County, and then moved northeast across McCreary County. The tornado downed numerous trees in both Wayne and McCreary Counties. In Wayne County the tornado damaged a barn and several outbuildings, and overturned a vehicle. Before lifting the tornado hit Smithtown in McCreary County and damaged several mobile homes, houses and outbuildings. | |||||||||||
| 48.2 | 1973-06-29 | 3 | 37°08'N / 84°05'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Laurel | |
| 48.2 | 2001-06-02 | 2 | 37°08'N / 84°05'W | 37°08'N / 84°05'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 10 | 17.1M | 0K | Laurel |
| Brief Description: A strong F2 tornado with wind estimates between 135 and 155 miles per hour ripped through downtown London during the evening hours. The Carnaby Square shopping center was hard hit. The tornado was reported by eye witnesses to have been nearly stationary in the parking lot for nearly 4 minutes. During this time several automobiles including a large moving van were overtured. A 20 by 30 foot chunk of 4 inch thick blacktop from the parking lot was torn up and thrown approximately 100 feet. Merchandise from one of the stores was later found 25 miles to the east. The tornado lifted before crossing U.S. Highway 25. The tornado touched down again along Bellinger Street between 6:15 and 6:20 pm where several homes received major damage. One duplex lost its entire roof as a mother and her two sons took shelter on the second floor. A mobile home used for storage was demolished. One block over on Morgan Street several brick and framed homes lost their entire roofs. A framed home placed on a block foundation was blown 15 feet away from the foundation. The storm lifted as if approached the Rolling Acres Subdivision. Witnesses reported seeing two funnel clouds at this time as the storm continued moving east. Damage was confined to large trees and some shingle damage on roofs of homes. The storm again dropped a tornado as it approached a ball park just northwest of the intersection of Kentucky Highway 192 and 80. Three of the four teams in the park took refuge in the concession stand and the fourth team remained in the dugout where parents covered the children while laying on the ground. One mid sized truck was tossed from the parking lot approximately 150 feet. Fencing from both ball diamonds was blown away. The last major damage occurred at a mobile home sales lot near the intersection of Kentucky Highway 192 and the Daniel Boone Parkway. Eight mobile homes weighing 8 to 12 tons were totaled. Emergency management officials reported that there were 10 minor injuries with the most serious being a broken arm. Eighteen residences were destroyed, 21 received major damage while 84 received minor damage. Twenty-six businesses suffered major damage. One church received major damage with another receiving minor damage. Thirty vehicles were destroyed and three 18 wheel tractor trailers were overturned. | |||||||||||
| 48.7 | 1998-04-16 | 2 | 36°37'N / 84°46'W | 36°39'N / 84°42'W | 3.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 15K | 0 | Wayne |
| Brief Description: The path of the tornado was intermittent. It first touched down in extreme southeast Wayne County, and then moved northeast across McCreary County. The tornado downed numerous trees in both Wayne and McCreary Counties. In Wayne County the tornado damaged a barn and several outbuildings, and overturned a vehicle. Before lifting the tornado hit Smithtown in McCreary County and damaged several mobile homes, houses and outbuildings. | |||||||||||
| 48.9 | 1974-04-03 | 4 | 36°39'N / 85°22'W | 36°43'N / 85°16'W | 7.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 33 | 25K | 0 | Cumberland |
| 49.2 | 1974-03-29 | 2 | 38°02'N / 84°54'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Anderson | |
| 49.7 | 1984-05-06 | 2 | 37°08'N / 84°05'W | 37°10'N / 84°01'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 8 | 2.5M | 0 | Laurel |
| 49.8 | 1965-11-26 | 2 | 38°02'N / 84°55'W | 38°03'N / 84°52'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 8 | 2.5M | 0 | Anderson |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.